Lucy Meck is a woman with a mission, as Look’s Gabrielle Dyer finds out...

Long gone are the days of stiletto heels and orange tans, when I met Lucy Meck at The Soho Hotel her outfit and makeup are a far cry from her looks on TOWIE. Long gone are the days of fake lashes and foundation layers, sitting before me is a sophisticated business woman.

“When I was on TOWIE, it was fashionable to be really brown, or, should I say, orange,” Lucy tells us, laughing. “I think you grow up and start remembering what your mum said about less being more – now I get it! I eat better, I use better skincare than I used to, so I look better.”

In fact, Lucy’s here to talk about skincare. She’s been working with Botanics for two years and swears by the Rosewater Toning Spritz and Hot Cloth Cleansing Balm to keep her skin blemish – free. She promises it’s a simple routine: “It might surprise people but I’m not high-maintenance.” Days for the former TOWIE star are very different now.

After a run of reality shows, including The Island with Bear Grylls (where she met current beau Ryan Thomas) and BBC1’s short-lived celeb gymnastics show Tumble, she launched her fitness empire Results With Lucy and has become a guru to over half a million women – even while battling her own anxiety. “I try and write everything down now,” she tells us. “Then I read through it and I think this isn’t actually that bad, I can deal with it tomorrow.

“Probably the biggest myth is when people say I must not eat a lot. No! I eat massive portions, I love food, I eat loads. When I’m trying to get lean, before a shoot or going away, I eat as much green vegetables and protein as I want, but I do have to look after myself, I am under pressure but it’s a good thing to be driven by.”

With the rise of fitness influencers, though, there must be some serious competition? “I get compared a lot, but some of the time these people have been surgically enhanced and people think, ‘I can have a 22-inch waist, a huge bum and massive boobs’ – but this perfectly curvy and toned Instagram image is unachievable. I mean I’d love longer legs. It’s the one thing I really want and I know I can’t have them!”

So what’s next for the star, more TV? “Everything I’ve done so far since TOWIE has been a challenge, I like things that are a bit challenging.” We have no doubt that Lucy Meck can take on whatever is thrown at her.’